As has been his custom for years, Wagner coach Pete Gibbens met Judson athletic director Sterling Jeter for breakfast early Saturday at El Toro restaurant on Pat Booker Road.

The two began their tradition when they were assistants at Judson. They’d dine the morning after games — usually victories — before heading in to the office to help the Rockets prepare for their next opponent.

Of the countless meals they’ve shared, Gibbens said he couldn’t remember any tasting better than the machacado plate he had following Wagner’s historic 21-14 upset over his former school on Friday.

“Oh man, Sterling even paid for it,” he said. “It was good.”

The result ranked at about a 9.5 on the shock scale — if not a perfect 10.

Not just because Judson had been 5-1 with a four-game winning streak. But also because the Thunderbirds, still learning what it is to play Texas high school football in their second season, had been destroyed by District 26-5A’s other three contenders.

Crushed by Madison 42-7 on Sept 13, Wagner beat Lee the following week for the first league victory in school history. Then the Thunderbirds lost to Smithson Valley by 40 and Reagan by 38 in successive weeks, dropping their two-year district record to 1-11.

Gibbens had preached hard work and perseverance from his first day at Wagner. But even he had trouble dealing with the defeats, especially after having known nothing but success at Judson.

“I never second-guess myself about taking this job,” he said, “but I’ll never open a new school again. It’s been harder than I ever thought it would be. You never go into a game worrying about keeping the score close, or trying to put on a good showing. You convince yourself that you always have a chance to win.

“When you work as hard as we have, and you get beat like we did by Smithson Valley, and the same thing happens against Reagan, you’re a little disenchanted. Our kids were beat down emotionally.”

Even with the incentive of playing against his old school, in what has already become a heated neighborhood rivalry, Gibbens admitted he was still licking his wounds when he arrived at school on Monday.

Then two of his players, Johnny Hickman-Derrington and Darrin Rogers, asked to address the team. The two seniors made an impassioned plea to their teammates, urging them to ignore their 2-4 record and win their final four games.

“That fired me up, knowing that the kids were bouncing back even quicker than I was,” Gibbens said. “They just had a belief that we could win.”

Wagner did so by stunning the Rockets with two first-quarter touchdowns, then making a series of key plays in the fourth quarter. Tailback David Glasco rushed for 152 yards on 28 carries to anchor the offense, while Quentin Benning did a little bit of everything with a 1-yard touchdown run, two sacks and the game-clinching interception.

To Gibbens, the victory didn’t feel much different from the six state championships he won during his lengthy tenure with the Rockets.

“I’ve been fortunate to have been in, and won, a lot of big ballgames over the years,” Gibbens said, “and I told the kids this one meant as much to me as any of them. I’ll never forget it.”

ODDS AND END AROUNDS

* It’s hard to explain, but I get the sense in talking to people around town — fans, media colleagues, coaches — that some seem to have forgotten just how good Reagan’s Marcus Wright really is.

I got more than a little grief after picking Wright over Devin Thomas in a head-to-head comparison for our preseason preview, especially after Thomas racked up nearly 1,500 in six games. No complaints here; Devin ranks among the top three or four high school backs I’ve covered.

But let’s not forget that Wright happens to be pretty good himself. In fact, with 323 yards against Lee, Wright now has 5,572 for his career, the third-best total in city history — and roughly three good games away from the legendary Jerod Douglas, who sits in second with 6,188.

*Speaking of legends, it was great to see Southwest retire the jersey of former Dragons star/Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. Considering only two high schools have ever produced multiple Heisman winners — Dallas Woodrow Wilson, Davey O’Brien and Tim Brown; Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, John Huarte and Matt Leinart — the Dragons are smart to cherish the one they’ve got.

*O’Connor is averaging nearly 40 points during its six-game winning streak, looking nothing like the sluggish and unathletic team that didn’t belong on the same field against Madison in early September. Particularly important have been receiver Phillip Burns and backup tailback Jerreal Minor, who give the Panthers the type of athletes they’ve rarely, if ever, had during Danny Padron’s tenure.

Burns, an offseason transfer from Churchill, has caught 32 passes in five games since earning his eligibility. Minor has developed nicely into a quality complement to starter Aaron Casanova. The two ran for 114 and 132 yards, respectively, against Stevens, which is just the type of balance Padron was hoping for when the season started.

*Left for dead at 0-4, Fox Tech is peaking with three-straight victories in District 28-4A. The Buffaloes defeated Sam Houston 44-14 for their latest triumph behind 301 yards and five touchdowns from running back Iveness Shelton. One of the area’s leading returning rushers, Shelton was relatively quiet with just one touchdown in the first five games. He’s scored eight in his last two, giving the Buffaloes the type of explosive scoring threat they’d sorely lacked.

*Maybe I’m not the fantasy genius I thought I was. Comfort’s Travis Chrisman throws for 400 yards and four touchdowns, and Lytle’s Clayton Jopling rushes for 262 yards and five touchdowns — yet I manage to leave both of them on the bench. I also benched Comfort receivers Vance Lich and Will Pace, who only combined for 316 yards and three scores. Luckily for me, Wright bailed me out with his outburst against Lee.